Car-coupling



(No Model.)

. Q 2 Sheets-'-Shee t 1. A. H. RENSHAW 86 H. BURDEN. CARGOUPLING.

No. 496,956. ented, May 9, 1893.

ALFREDH- RENSHAW HOWARD H- BURDEN,

BY v

(No Model.) 7 2 She et-Sheet 2.

A. H. RENSHAW & H. H. BURDEN. GAR COUPLING.

No. 496,956. Patented May 9, 1893.

my rum/2s ALFRED H. ensmw, OWARD 14.39am,

ATTORNEY. I

- WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED H. RENSHAWV AND HOWARD H. BURDEN, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,956, dated May 9,1893.

Application filed October 3, 1890.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ALFRED I-l. RENSHAW and HOWARD H. BURDEN, citizensof the United States, residing atTroy, in the county of Rensselaer andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCar-Couplings, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Our invention relates to improvements upon that class of car-couplerswhich are known as of the knuckle-type. In this type,eaoh of the couplerparts is the counter part of the other, and each is arranged to turninwardly on a vertical axis in the draw head to interlock with the othercoupler part; and swing out on the vertical axis to disconnect. Thisstyle of car-coupler is described in Letters-Patent granted to us datedJuly 1, 1890, No. 431,195. In service these couplers are subjected toheavy buffing blows from the coming together of the cars. Frequentlythese shocks or blows give a permanent set to the hook end of theknuckle toward the drawhead so as to prevent its counterpart fromoperating with it, and often the blow is sufficient to bend out of shapeor break off and destroy the knuckle. The difficulty arises from thefact that the hook-end of the knuckle must be made to projectconsiderably beyond the draw head in order to engage and couple with itscounterpart so that when buffing occurs the force or pressure must actwith a lever arm of greater or less length. This lever arm should be assmall as possible and the object of our invention is to diminish thisleverage and the tendency to bend the hook end of the knuckle consequentthereupon and to provide a support for the knuckle hook.

The principal feature of ourinvention consists in giving support to thehook end of the knuckle as near the line of draft and impact aspossible, that is, near the point where the knuckle is exposed to thegreatest stress. This is effected by forming the exterior surfaces ofthe lugs of the draw bar which come in contact with the knuckle so thatinstead of being curved, they are partly curved and partly plane, thecurved part, which is the part farthest away from the line of impact,being sufficient to insure proper contact dur- Serial No. 366.948. Nomodel.)

ing the rotation of theknuckle about the pin. While the straightportion, which extends from the edge of the curved part nearest the lineof impact, toward the line of impact forms an extended plane buffingsurface more or less normal to the line of impact. The surfaces of theknuckle flanges which come in contact with the lug surfaces justdescribed are made to conform to them, that is, they also are partlycurved and partly plane, .and they extend from the heel of the knuckleto the inside of the hook part. Our location of the pivot pin on whichthe knuckle revolves and the shape given to the knuckle secure for usflanges as above described, and of the full depth and extent of the lugsof the drawhead. By this arrangement, when buiiing takes place, thegreater part of the force of the blow is communicated through the flatsurfaces of the lugs and knuckle just described, to the lugs directlyand thence to the draw head, instead of the force being borne by thelocking arm of the knuckle only, as is the casein all the devices inwhich the exterior surfaces of the lugs are curved only and notstraight. Also by this arrangement the lever arm of the hook part is soconstructed that it extends to the smallest possible distance beyond thedraw head and is directly supported by it.

Accompanying this specification and forming part of it, are two platesof drawings containing three figures.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts on the drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1, is a top or plan view of a coupler part withour invention applied thereto, and with the knuckle part in the closedposition. Fig. 2, is the same as Fig. l,with the knuckle part in theopen position. Fig. 3, shows a top view of two coup ler-parts, embodyingour invention, about t strike together as buffers.

The description of the several parts illustrated is as follows:

The letter H designates the head of the draw bar and O is the knuckleform coupler part.

The letter P, designates the pivot pin or axis in the draw head on whichthe knuckle form coupler part swings.

The letter S, designates the portion of the draw head which formssupporting lugs or surfaces for the corresponding surfaces or flanges ofthe knuckle form coupler part the lugs projecting toward the centralline of the draw head.

The letter T, designates the flanges of the knuckles.

The letter D, designates the end of the flange at the heel of theknuckle forming a stop when the coupler is open.

The pivot pin P or center of rotation of the knucklejoint is placed asshown so that when the knuckle is in position of engagement the entiresurface S, may form a support for the knuckle in resistance to any blowreceived by the meeting of thetwo couplers used as buffers,asshowninFig3. Asthepivotpinofaknuckle form coupler marks its center ofrotation, the tendency in former constructions, has been to make thesurface of the lug of the drawhead a circular cylinder where the knuckleswings around and bears against the draw head. But this gives the leastbase of support for the knuckle and leaves the hook part without anysustaining brace against the lug. We construct the lugs with bearing andsupporting surfaces partly curved and partly plane the plane surfacesbeing tangential or approximately so to the curved surfaces. We alsoconstruct the flanges of the knuckle which bear against the supportingsurfaces of the draw head to correspond with these surfaces.

It will thus be 7 seen that our improved knuckle is provided withflanges or lugs which extend from near the central line of the knucklein a plane or right line toward the,

force of a buffing blow on the knuckle delivered almost in a direct linewith the supporting surface of the draw head and near the line of itsgreatest strength instead of at the end of an extended and unsupportedknuckle.

'We claim this improvement embodies a correct scientific principle, andpractical experiments have proved the enormous increase in strengthwhich our construction gains beyond the other styles of knuckle formcouplers in use.

. Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

A knuckle-form coupler part 0, constructed to swing within a draw-headH, the drawhead being provided with a plane or rightlinebearing orbuffing surface S extending substantially to the line of impact of theopposing coupler and having a curved surface substantially concentricwith the pivot pin 1? extendin g from the plane surface to the outside,and the knuckle having flanges T extending substantiallyfrom the centralline of the knuckle toward theheel in a plane or right line and curvedinwardly to the heel, corresponding to the surface of the draw-head;substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures, in presence of twowitnesses, this 26th day of Sept-ember, 1890.

ALFRED I-I. RENSHAWV. HOWARD H. BURDEN.

Witnesses:

S. S. BULHoUs, JOHN H. NEHER.

